Warning: This Android Game May Cause Obsessive & Excessive Backflipping

A lot of casual mobile games use game mechanics to play to their addictive strengths, and Backflipper is definitely one of them. In this game, you choose the direction your character jumps, then you tap or hold the screen to make them stop flipping and try to land. That's all the control you have, and this brilliantly simple formula makes for an instantly addictive game that you won't want to put down.

There are tons of physics games based on trick flips in the Google Play Store, and some of them are actually quite excellent. Backflipper tries to differentiate itself from the crowd with far simpler mechanics, enhanced physics, and little touches, and it does a wonderful job in the process. It also puts in ad breaks quite infrequently, and gets players who fail back into the action quickly - two areas where many backflipping games, such as Flip Trickster, may have trouble.

One of the first things you're going to notice about Backflipper is the art style. It's punchy, it's in-your-face, and it's unapologetically modern. While some may not see the appeal of such a style, it's far from grating no matter what your sensibilities may be. The second thing is the wonderful physics simulation. Aside from falling just a bit slower than in real life, the physics are extremely realistic, and convey a certain sense of impact that's hard to describe outright. Landing, whether on your feet or in an injurious manner, is very satisfying in this game, and the animations and physics meld just so.

As for the actual gameplay, it really is about as simple as described at the base level. There are many different types of obstacles, including moving cars, and different goals to shoot for. As you flip your way to victory, the occasional defeat will bring an interesting feature to your attention; there are two types of failure in this game. Depending on how high you jump from and where you land, you may simply fail, or you may see "Fatal Hit", which indicates that a dismount like that would kill in the real world. Admittedly, it's a nice touch for those who like to throw game characters to their doom as most backflipping games leave you wondering if your character may have survived. There's absolutely no uncertainty here, though characters that meet their end are obviously resurrected instantly for gameplay purposes.

While this game has over 50,000 installs, that's honestly peanuts by Google Play numbers and this game has the potential to go on to become a very popular game. For now, it's not hard to call it a hidden gem. The company behind it, MotionVolt games, doesn't have any other games on Android under its own banner. It did help develop two flipping games for Miniclip, being Flip Master and Flip Diving, so fans of those two should feel right at home with this game.

While it's likely to go largely unnoticed in the grand scheme of the Google Play Store's whimsy, Backflipper is a big step for MotionVolt; the studio has now thrown down an effort that's entirely its own, and whether that pays off in a big way is anybody's guess down the line. The current install numbers are more than mildly impressive, but it's going to take more than that to even put a scratch on genre conventions or compete with the big dogs in mobile gaming. Those interested in giving this one a try can download the game from the Google Play Store.

Daniel has been writing for Android Headlines since 2015, and is one of the site's Senior Staff Writers. He's been living the Android life since 2010, and has been interested in technology of all sorts since childhood. His personal, educational and professional backgrounds in computer science, gaming, literature, and music leave him uniquely equipped to handle a wide range of news topics for the site. These include the likes of machine learning, voice assistants, AI technology development, and hot gaming news in the Android world. Contact him at [email protected]